The story of Nabal, "fool" or "folly", is a complicated one as it is relayed in 1 Samuel 25. First the chapter begins with a word about the death of Samuel, which in its own right is strange. Samuel is the first of the great prophets and has ushered in a new age in Israel, yet his passing is marked by only a couple of sentences. Since the anointing of David, Samuel has receded into the background, almost as a sign that David is now God's anointed, the instrument of God's Will.
So now God's anointed hears of a rich man, Nabal and he seeks to gain assistance from this man. While the story seeks to portray Nabal as a fool, a selfish man who dies from his excesses ( which he is ) it overly portrays David as the aggrieved party. While Nabal is not interested in helping David, David's overture to Nabal can only be seen as extortion, he is simply trying to shake Nabal down for food and favor. Now Nabal, if he were charitable, should have been open to hospitality but he recognizes David's approach for what it was, a shakedown.
However, one of Nabal's servants sees it a bit differently and he tells his side to Abigail, Nabal's wife. The servants perspective is the same as the author's and so it is his story that we follow. Abigail realizing the error of Nabal, seeks to make redress. She sends provisions to David and then follows them to entreat David to mercy and to not act out in righteous vengeance. She proves to understand that perhaps David is more than just a renegade, a man destined for greatness. Her presence proves useful as she dissuades David from action.
Perhaps if only Nabal would have listened to his wife in the same way David did. Nabal, drunk, suffers perhaps a heart attack or perhaps a stroke and dies. David takes this is a sign from God that he was right. David takes the wise Abigail as his wife.
The story returns to Saul's persuit of David in 1 Samuel 26 with a report form the Ziphites to Saul that they know the hiding place of David in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul comes up and camps opposite of the suspected location of David's camp. David sends spies to confirm Saul's presence. David then obtains the assistance of his cousin, Abishai, to enter the camp of Saul itself.
As they sneak into camp, they are able to come very near Saul and Aibshai urges David to take Saul's life. David knows that Saul is anointed by God and therefore God will deal with Saul, either by taking his life or Saul dying in battle and it is not the place of David to take his life. David does take Saul's spear and water job, in the same way that he cut a piece off of the cloak in the cave to prove that he could have done more.
After exiting Saul's camp, from a safe location David calls out to Saul and to Saul's general Abner, to show them that he has been in the camp and has been close to Saul. Saul realizes that he again has had the ability to take the life of Saul but has shown grace by David. David calls upon God do deal with him, David, in the same way David has dealt with Saul. Saul then departs and David goes his own way
Psalm 49
The question of immortality is at the heart of the psalmist's concern in the 49th Psalm. Death is a reality, it is something that humans and animals share, one cannot escape it. The psalmist chastises those who seem to turn to wealth as a means to cheat death, sound familiar? They cannot ransom themselves through their own wealth to find immortality, that is not how death works. No price can keep one from the grave.
Fool and wise alike have fallen to this false hope of wealth, yet this wealth is only left behind for another to waste and squander. In contrast, God is able to pay the ransom, God is able to save from Sheol, the pit. While not speaking of an afterlife, the psalmist insures that death cannot and will not separate God from those that God's loves. The psalmist challenges listeners and readers to place their trust in this God, a God who can redeem even through death.
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